May 15th, 2014
A few weeks ago we noticed a black-capped chickadee digging away at a deck post in our backyard. Chickadees are cavity nesters and typically have a need to do their own excavating. I’d never seen a chickadee go vertical, but Levi Moore at our Wrigley Corners OEE Centre – our chickadee expert – says it’s common, and the first nest cavity he saw was a vertical one. See Levi’s blog on the birds he bands at the Dickson Wilderness Area http://dicksonchickadees.wordpress.com/
I decided to put up a nest box nearby to see if the birds would be interested, and I placed some leaves and yard debris inside. Sure enough, they chose this shelter over the deck post and have since completed nest building with moss, pine needles and hair, and have laid 5 eggs!!
Once egg laying is done, incubation is 12 to 13 days, with another 12 to 16 days as nestlings. Then it’s off to explore and exploit the world outside the box.
You can easily build or buy a nest box for many species of wildlife from birds to bats and butterflies, and there are a number of organizations that would benefit from your citizen science observations such as Bird Studies Canada’s Project Nestwatch
Black-capped chickadee with feathers fluffed up against the cold.
Peter Rasberry
Blair Outdoor Education Centre
Waterloo Region District School Board
519-653-9855
peter_rasberry@wrdsb.on.ca
